Granny Spicer
by MissMune
Summary: [Oneshot] Jannet Spicer, former evil villain, is...not excited about a visit from her little grandson and his goodygoody mother.


A/N: Yes, MissMune is writing something OTHER than an Invader ZIM fanfiction. I expect to hear some gasps.

…Okay, that's enough of that.

So, anyhoo, I really love Jack, seriously. He is by FAR my favorite character. He's just so evilly adorable! If…that makes sense… And, well, I really wanted to write a fanfiction featuring him, you know? This plot just popped out at me.

Jack said that he got both his helipack (after he became evil in second grade) and an evil shirt (for one must assume it's evil if it belongs to Jack) from his granny. Now, either his granny is REALLY accepting, or she's evil. PURE EVIL!1!!

I went with the latter, since it's more fun. Either way, I found this fun to write. Of course, that's why I write oneshots in the first place.

Jannet's name came from my friend, Reem (IE: La-Abeja), who also beta-read this. I figured I should credit her.

Disclaimer: I don't own Jack or Xiaolin Showdown, isn't that sad? That honor goes to Christy Hui.

------

Light filtered through the pane glass windows of an old Victorian house. At the moment, there was only a single inhabitant, currently sitting in an old rocking chair, waiting for a few irritating relatives to arrive. They were technically guests in her home but, really, she would have preferred not to see them.

She was an old woman, she knew it. She doubted that she had all that much time left, and wasting time with her son's wife wasn't her idea of a pleasant time. With a growl she pulled her thin, spider veined fingers through her grayed hair. And then there was that _son_ of hers. The whiny little momma's boy he was; she hated seeing him.

The boy was one of those perfect little angels. The ones that never disobeyed their parents; the ones that got perfect grades; the ones that were just so _good_ in every way. It made her sick. How had her son – her little devil – produced…_that_? He was so promising! Her only son!

And, unfortunately, her only chance to carry on the Spicer name. Even though she had forced her husband to keep _her_ last name (she was rather persuasive) she knew her daughters never would. It was so very unfortunate that her grandson, his mommy's little angel, would likely be the only new Spicer she would see in her lifetime.

With exasperation etched into the wrinkles on her face, she leaned back farther into her rocking chair. It creaked lightly as it rocked. She didn't know why she had one, she had always hated them. She may have been old, but she wasn't feeble. In _her_ day she had been feared.

_Feared_.

She had been so close. So close to having the very _world_ at her fingertips but… through a series of stupid mistakes, she had lost it all. That was when she settled down, and had a few children.

After all, evil people could lead normal lives too, couldn't they?

That didn't mean she had given up, no. She had been determined for her children to succeed where she had failed, but we all know how that ended up. Her oldest daughter was a well known doctor, her other daughter was a photographer, and her only son was a business tycoon.

She had to admit, though, that being a business tycoon _was_ rather evil, but it wasn't what she had hoped for. And any pride she had for her son was instantly abolished when he had married that namby-pamby goody-goody girl.

Lord knew that she hated her, and she would be here any moment. She sighed, and got out of her chair. Maybe she could flee before they got here? She had only said they could come over because she was obligated to say 'yes'. 

Maybe she had just become too soft in her old age. The thought mocked her. _Her_? Soft? Preposterous!

Suddenly, the soft chiming of a musical doorbell reverberated throughout the otherwise quiet household. The melodious sound was immediately followed by a groan from the old woman, who shook her head and shuffled towards the door.

_I should have ran when I had the chance,_ she thought dully as she stood before the door. With another mournful sigh, she rolled her eyes before slowly opening the door.

"Hello, Jannet!" a cheerful voice chirped from the doorway. It had come from a rather pretty, middle aged woman. She was thin, with a sharp, angular face framed by short brown hair. And she was smiling – smiling wider than the old woman cared for.

"Hello, Lynn," the old woman replied in a slightly gravely voice, as though she hadn't used it too often recently. "How _are_ you?" she continued, sounding rather forced. It almost seemed like she was trying to avoid letting the new arrival in.

"Oh, great, great!" Lynn said, stepping forward just a little. This minor movement, however, caused something to whimper from behind her, and tighten its grip on her khaki skirt. For some reason, this made Lynn chuckle. "Jackie, honey," she said softly, kneeling down to the level of whatever was behind her, "It's just Grandma Jannet."

There was another whimper, before a boy's head poked out from behind Lynn. It was obvious that he wasn't too old, still in elementary school. It was also obvious that he wasn't too brave, as he still hung behind his mother. A few stray strands of bright red hair hung down onto his pale face, as he stared up at his grandmother.

"Say hi to Grandma, Jack," the boy's mother said patiently.

"Hi, Grandma…" Jack said unenthusiastically. It appeared that he wanted to be there about as much as Jannet wanted him to be.

After the introductions were put into place, it seemed that Jannet had no choice, "Please…come in…" she said, dully.

Again, Lynn smiled and pulled Jack into the house after her. Jannet, meanwhile, was trying not to glare at them. It was best not to be rude, after all.

However, once in the house, Lynn's demeanor changed as she tried to detach herself from Jack. "Ah, mommy has to go talk to Grandma for a moment, ok, honey?" she said to Jack, kissing him on the forehead.

Jack didn't seem to want to let his mother go, but nodded and went to go sit on an old, soft couch that Jannet had placed in the center of her living room. 

Lynn, taking her chance, moved quickly over to Jannet. "Ah, Jannet, I hope you don't mind me asking but…I really have a lot of appointments today and…there's no one to take care of Jack so could you-"

Jannet sighed, and nodded, "O-of course…" she muttered.

"Oh, thank you!" Lynn said, leaping up and hugging the old woman, much to the other's dismay. She didn't attempt to break the hug; however, she merely resigned herself to it. Once Lynn got a look at a rather large grandfather clock, though, the embrace was quickly ended. She was rushing back to the room where she had entered before pausing, remembering that she would have to pass her son if she went that way.

"Ah...I think I'll take the back way," she said, chuckling nervously as she turned and rushed off the other way. "Thanks again!" she called back to Jannet before she was out of the backdoor.

Great…now she was left with _that_ woman's whiny son. Feeling sick, Jannet rubbed her face in frustration. With a few deep breaths, she felt as though she was ready.

…Hopefully he wouldn't start screaming for 'mommy'.

Carefully, she strode out into her living room, where Jack was still sitting on the couch. He didn't even appear as though he had moved since his mother had left the room. She knew what he was going to ask.

"Where-" he began, before Jannet interrupted him.

"She had to leave," Jannet replied bluntly. The boy looked at her with wide eyes, and she prepared for the worse.

But he didn't cry. He just pulled his legs close to his torso, and stared at his grandmother with those red eyes of his.

Jannet frowned, this was even worse. She actually felt _bad_ for the kid. She didn't like him but…he _was_ her grandson… Biting her lower lip, she glanced around the room, as though someone was watching her. As though someone would mock her if she comforted her own grandson.

Of course that was ridiculous.

In a grandmotherly fashion that she rarely showed, she moved to her own couch hesitantly, sitting down next to Jack with a 'flump'. The boy didn't even look up, though, and, being directly next to him, Jannet could see that he was shaking.

Oh, he was such a momma's boy; Jannet couldn't help but reflect on, sadly. "Ah, Jack…are you…ok?" she asked, as nicely as she could, which really wasn't that nice.

"I want my mom…" the boy muttered quietly, still not looking up.

Jannet furrowed her brows, "She'll be back," she paused, would this be the time for a term of endearment? "…Dear."

At this, Jack was silent before slowly turning his head over to his grandmother. "When?" he asked.

"In a few hours," Jannet said, attempting to smile at the boy. He still looked apprehensive, however, but it didn't seem like he knew what else to say to that. The two were silent, and the only sound in the room was the ticking of the grandfather clock.

"So…are you hungry?" Jannet asked.

Jack immediately perked up, "Do you have pudding cups?!" he practically yelled.

His grandmother blinked at the question, put through a loop. "Er, yes," she affirmed, much to the boy's delight. In a flash, he had jumped off of the couch and was headed for the kitchen. It was almost as if he hadn't just freaked out about his mother not being there.

Needless to say, Jannet was rather dumbfounded, as she followed the boy into the kitchen, preparing to get out the pudding. She was too slow on the draw, however, as Jack had already found the pudding _and_ the silverware, and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. "What kind of pudding is this? It's great!" he observed happily.

"Ah, it's banana…" Jannet said slowly. At least that's what she thought it was.

"Really?" Jack said, taking another spoonful of pudding.

"Yes," his grandmother said, nodding, still confused at his sudden change in attitude. The boy had made a complete recovery at the mere _mention_ of pudding. She wished his mother would have told her that before she left…

So, the boy had calmed down. ….Now what? Were they supposed to go play board games or put together puzzles? It seemed as though that's what grandparents _did_ nowadays… but that sounded terribly dull.

In all honesty, Jannet just wasn't used to having guests over.

"So, Jack," Jannet said, watching the boy as he consumed pudding at an alarming rate, "I hear you do well in school?"

At this, Jack nearly snorted his pudding. "I'm a _genius_," he replied shortly, pointing at his grandmother with the spoon he held in his hand.

Jannet almost laughed. Maybe the kid really wasn't as bad as she though he was. "A genius, huh? Must be rough."

"Oh _yeah_," Jack replied haughtily, "School's too easy, but mom says to work through it, because I can be anything I want." The boy seemed rather proud of this fact.

"I bet she does…" Jannet said quietly, with a mild look of disgust on her face.

"She says that I can be a doctor, or a lawyer, or a scientist or a world leader!" he said excitedly.

"I'm sure she'll be _so_ proud of you once you accept your Nobel Peace Prize," Jannet said sarcastically, making Jack frown slightly.

"Yeah…" Jack said quietly, stirring his spoon around in the last pudding cup. He had eaten an entire pack. "But…" The boy cut off, as though he was rather embarrassed of continuing.

"_But_?" Jannet pressed. But _what_? But he didn't want to work that hard? Wouldn't surprise her, he _was_ still a boy.

Jack bit his lower lip, and stared down at the ground, he had stopped playing with the pudding cup, and seemed to have completely forgotten about it. "She says I can help a lot of people," he said.

Jannet raised an eyebrow. Why was that a problem? "You can…" she said slowly.

"But I…" Jack said, fidgeting uncomfortably, as though he was being interrogated, "I…don't...want to." He said the last two words very quickly, so fast that it was hard for Jannet to hear them.

She did. However, this didn't mean that her brain processed the words easily. "W-what?" she said aloud, without meaning to. This only made Jack cringe lightly, as though he had done something horrible.

"Mom says that only evil people don't help others," Jack said, turning away from his grandmother, "And she says I'm not supposed to be evil…"

It took Jannet a good, full minute to realize what Jack had just said. Truly, what he had meant by his words. Her mouth hung open slightly. This was even more surprising than the pudding. "You – are you - " she stammered, "Are – Do you think you're evil, Jack?"

At that question, Jack jumped, and spun around to look at his grandmother. His eyes were wide with fear, and he seemed to be panicking. "I-I," he stuttered, "I - N-no?"

It was quiet in the house, as Jack waited for a response from his grandmother. He was clearly expecting a chiding, or a reprimand of some sort. What he certainly wasn't expecting was loud, boisterous laughter that Jannet burst into. She had to hold her sides to keep them from splitting, and tears of laughter made their way down through her thick wrinkles.

"Oh, Jack," she said, out of breath for laughter. She still hadn't stopped completely, as she moved closer to her grandson, who looked beyond confused, but still weary. He even flinched when Jannet placed a warm, congratulatory hand on his shoulder, "Have you told anyone?"

"N-no… I mean-" Jack said, still looking nervous. He _had_ just admitted that he believed that he was evil, and evil was supposed to be bad. His mom had told him so, after all.

"Any plans yet?" Jannet pressed, smiling kindly at her grandson. In the past few moments she had begun to like him a whole lot more.

"P-plans?" Jack questioned, thinking carefully about what she meant. Almost immediately, he realized the meaning, "For world domination?" he said slowly.

Again, Jannet burst out into laughter. It wasn't warm laughter this time, it was more like an evil laugh that sent a shiver up Jack's spine. "Exactly, m'boy!" she shouted, giving him a toothy grin, and pulling him into a hug. "You've made your Grandmother so proud!"

"I…have?" Jack said, still looking incredibly confused. "But…evil is…"

"Great!" Jannet finished for him, releasing Jack from the hug. The boy looked up at his grandmother with curiosity written on his features. "Jack, you can get anything you want if you're evil, you know that?" she asked him. He shook his head, no. "You _can_," she whispered, "You can have the whole world at your call."

"I can?!" Jack asked, actually excited about the prospect at having the world do whatever he wanted it to do.

"Of course!" Jannet said seriously, "Jack, you're a genius. A _genius_." Jack grinned. "And, you're evil. Do you know what that makes you?" 

"…An _evil_ genius?" Jack said.

"_Exactly_! You're an evil genius, m'boy!" Jannet said, still grinning widely at her grandson.

"I am? Really!?" Jack said. He was practically jumping up and down with joy at this news. He couldn't really say why, but his grandmother had really gotten him keen on the idea of evil.

"Yes, Jack, _you are_!" Jannet gasped the words, as though she couldn't believe it herself. This – this was so _lucky_! This boy, this boy shared her dreams!

"Great!" Jack said happily, before his face fell, "But…what do I do?"

"Oh, don't worry about that!" Jannet said with the wave of her hand, "I'll explain it all! Ju-"

Suddenly, there was a jingling from the doorway, and the creaking of the door. "Ah! I'm back, honey!" the sound of Lynn's voice entered the home, making Jannet scowl once again. Even Jack didn't seem too happy; he had wanted to hear what his grandmother was going to say.

The woman rushed into the room, and stole Jack into a barrage of hugs and kisses. After that bit of affection, she turned to Jannet, "Ah, sorry, it turns out that half of my clients cancelled. Seems like something's going around." She laughed. Jannet did not share her jovial mood.

"So, I hope you don't mind if I take Jack and run, do you?" she asked, smiling.

"I-" Jannet started, before a thought occurred to her, "Of course not. Just let me get something for him. I'll be right back." And with that, she headed off downstairs.

Lynn looked at her son curiously. Jack merely shrugged, not knowing what his grandmother was bringing him, either. In fact, even when she returned a moment later with a strange circular device, he still didn't know what he was receiving.

"What's that?" Lynn asked, before Jack had the chance to.

"Oh, it's a…backpack," Jannet said carefully, "It should help him out." 

"Well…alright, but he already has one…" Lynn said, clearly not understanding why Jannet had given her son a backpack. "Well….ready to go, Jackie?"

Jack nodded, and stared at the pack he had just been given, then back up at his grandmother, who quickly mouthed 'It's not a backpack' and smiled. Jack smiled back at her, realizing that whatever this thing was, it must have been pretty cool.

"Well, thanks for your trouble, Jannet!" Lynn said, pulling Jack behind her as she headed towards the front door.

"Oh, no trouble, Lynn!" Jannet said slyly, "Just make sure you bring Jack back! You wouldn't deprive an old grandmother of her grandson, would you?"

"Of course not, Jannet!" Lynn said, smiling, and waved at the old woman before heading out of the door.

"Good luck, Jack!" Jannet cried after the grinning boy and his now confused mother.


End file.
